Member Bulletin
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) met in Brisbane on Monday 7 December 2009 to discuss options for health reform within Australia. At this meeting COAG agreed that national health reform would be a central priority for 2010. Two other key health issues discussed during the meeting were e-health and the National Partnership Agreement on Elective Surgery.
Dear Member,
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) met in Brisbane on Monday 7 December 2009 to discuss options for health reform within Australia. At this meeting COAG agreed that national health reform would be a central priority for 2010. Two other key health issues discussed during the meeting were e-health and the National Partnership Agreement on Elective Surgery.
Health Reform
The COAG Communiqué reports that “for over two hours, Leaders discussed options for reforming Australia’s health and hospitals system to deliver a healthier future for all Australians”. COAG considered the recommendations of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission final report, the draft National Primary care Strategy, and the National Preventive Health Strategy. The Prime Minister identified the key issues raised through the consultations undertaken by the Commonwealth since the release of the above reports. Premiers and Chief Ministers were also provided with an opportunity to provide overviews of particular strengths and opportunities for improvements in their jurisdictions.
The key outcome of the COAG meeting was the following agreements:
1. The Prime Minister will correspond with First Ministers by the end of December 2009 recommending a decision-making process on long-term health and hospital reform
2. COAG will commence work immediately in 2010 on the development of national health reform plan as a priority
3. The Commonwealth will actively engage with the States on the range of reform proposals canvassed by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission and related proposals
4. The Commonwealth will put specific proposals to the States in the first half of 2010
E-Health
COAG took another step towards the implementation of national e-health systems in Australia with the signing of an agreement to provide the legislative, governance and
administrative framework for national healthcare identifiers. This National Partnership Agreement on E-Health sets out the objectives and scope for the Healthcare Identifier
Service to be operated by Medicare Australia and provides the building blocks necessary for patient-controlled individual electronic health records.
National Partnership Agreement on Elective Surgery
A national agreement has been reached including Federal Government provision of a further $300 million in funding targeted to relieve pressure on waiting lists through the implementation of Stage Three of the “Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan”. Under Stage Three, States and Territories will share in $300 million upon meeting challenging performance targets within set time lines. Further reward payments will be received for exceeding these targets.
Further information regarding the COAG meeting can be obtained from www.coag.gov.au.
Further information regarding ERGPA’s response to the health reforms, please visit our website at http://www.ergpa.com.au/news/national-health-reform/ and download a copy of Connecting Care: A Blueprint for improving the health and wellbeing of the Australian population – the role and function of primary Health Care organizations.
Kristin Michaels
Chief Executive Officer